Not much has been talked about the Cleveland Browns recent acquisition of Ray Farmer, general manager Michael Lombardi‘s new assistant.While Farmer does come from a player tree (Joe Banner drafted him), he does bring something to the table.

The former Kansas City Chiefs director of pro personnel played three seasons in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles. Farmer survived regime change after regime change in Kansas City. That says a lot about an executive when that happens. Farmer also was a scout for the Atlanta Falcons from 2002 to 2005.

Banner himself seems to really like Farmer saying, “Ray is highly regarded in league circles as an outstanding evaluator of talent.” At one point, the Browns were considering him for the open GM position. “We had the opportunity to meet with Ray in our initial search for general manager and came away extremely impressed. I have known Ray since he played with us in Philadelphia, and I am familiar with the type of person he is, his work ethic, and his knowledge of the game. We are very fortunate that we were able to add someone of Ray’s caliber to our personnel staff.” Banner said.

For the most part, I like the executive hirings the Browns have made. Grabbing ex-players that have “been there” makes it much easier to work with the current players. It seems like Jimmy Haslam and Banner have a tight grip on the franchise and are quietly putting together a nice front office.

The Norv Turner and Ray Horton coordinator decisions seem to have the fans’ blessing too. With the addition of Farmer, this should also take some of the pressure off of Lombardi and let him do his job.

Training camp has started and the 2015 season for the Jacksonville Jaguars is officially underway. Besides the obvious players that are expected to shine, we will look at the five Jaguars we believe need to make a significant impact on the field this year if this team is going to be competitive. Read More